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The Saturday Review
The Perils of Conformity
CLAUDE M. FUESS
Bachrach.
Claude M. Fuess
kN Independence Day
18 5 4" at
Framingham, Massachusetts, William
Lloyd Garrison at
an abolitionist
gathering, after describing the Constitution of the
United States as "a
covenant with
death and an
agreement with hell," publicly burned
a copy of that document, crying. "So
perish all compromises with tyranny.'"
It was the foolish act of a misguided
fanatic, which discredited the perpe:
trator and accomplished nothing towards the freeing of the Negro. But
the interesting fact is that, although
Garrison was denounced by conservative newspapers in the North,- he was
in no way officially called to account
for his diatribe, either by the courts
or by a Congressional committee. Nobody seems to have been afraid that
Garrison' would be able- to abrogate
the Constitution. What would happen
today if any so-called "liberal" committed a similar absurdity may be left
to the imagination,. It is certain that he
would be brought before a loyalty
board and that his situation would be
precarious.
Some of the greatest of our statesmen would fare badly if.they were'
living and writing in 1952. Thomas''
Jefferson, whose name has conjurative
Claude M. Fuess, former headmaster
at Phillips Academy at Andover, Mass.,
is the author of biographies of Daniel
Webster, Carl Schurz, and Calvin
Coolidge. *
powers, was a "radical" who advocated a general revision of all the established laws and forms of society.
What would our witch-hunting Senators make of a statesman who wrote,
"A little rebellion now and then is a
good thing" and who argued,that perhaps a society without government,
like that among*the American Indians,
was to be preferred to any other type?
This would be regarded today as subversive talk, to be .promptly suppressed, by force if necessary. Nevertheless, the monument to Thomas Jefferson still stands in Washington, visited with reverence by millions of
Americans, and we quote with pride
what he said of the university which
he founded: "This institution will be
based on the illimitable freedom of
the human mind. For here we are not
afraid^to follow truth wherever it may
lead, nor to tolerate error so long as
reason is"" left free to combat it."
"We are not afraid!" said Jefferson.
But today, when the nation is actually
and relatively far stronger than it was
when he was President, we are .dominated by a fear so pervasive that it
approaches hysteria. This little volume, comprising a series'of lectures at
Swarthmore College, deals with various manifestations of that fear.* Professor Commager dwells in a general
way on the attack now being made by
frightened men upon independence of
thought, nonconformity, and dissent.
Professor Carr covers particularly
problems of racial equality. Professor
Chafee discusses primarily the Congressional investigations conducted
under the McCarran Act. Professor
Gellhorn shows how our fear of disclosing scientific secrets is hindering
the progress of research. Judge Bok is
troubled by the tendency of self-appointed critics to censor books or
plays which they do not like. President Baxter, with vigor and clarity,
indicates what suppression in education has done to the Russian mind.
THE CONCLUSIONS of these six
men naturally differ somewhat in
degree and in expression, but they are
united in maintaining that we are in
grave danger, through fear, of becom-
, ing totalitarian in our governmental
philosophy. In our zeal to protect ourselves from an outside peril we have allowed extremists to curtail our personal liberties. We are paying our enemies the tribute of admitting that coercion . and suppression are legitimate
weapons for combatting other ideas. In
other words, what Sinclair Lewis
dreaded has already happened here. A
large number of respectable people,
dwelling in an atmosphere of suspicion, are afraid to say what they think.
Slander, libel, and calculated falsehood
—some of it protected under our Constitution—have done their deadly ter-
LIBERTIES UNDER ATTACK. By
Henry Steele Commager, Robert K. Carr,
7.echar\ah Chafee, Jr.. Walter Gellhorn, Curtis Bok. James P. Baxter, III. Edited by Clair
Wilcox. Philadelphia.- University of Pennsylvania Press. 155 pp. J3.50.

User has an obligation to determine copyright or other use restrictions prior to publication or distribution. Please contact the archives at reference@ajhsboston.org or 617-226-1245 for more information.

User has an obligation to determine copyright or other use restrictions prior to publication or distribution. Please contact the archives at reference@ajhsboston.org or 617-226-1245 for more information.

Transcript

The Saturday Review
The Perils of Conformity
CLAUDE M. FUESS
Bachrach.
Claude M. Fuess
kN Independence Day
18 5 4" at
Framingham, Massachusetts, William
Lloyd Garrison at
an abolitionist
gathering, after describing the Constitution of the
United States as "a
covenant with
death and an
agreement with hell," publicly burned
a copy of that document, crying. "So
perish all compromises with tyranny.'"
It was the foolish act of a misguided
fanatic, which discredited the perpe:
trator and accomplished nothing towards the freeing of the Negro. But
the interesting fact is that, although
Garrison was denounced by conservative newspapers in the North,- he was
in no way officially called to account
for his diatribe, either by the courts
or by a Congressional committee. Nobody seems to have been afraid that
Garrison' would be able- to abrogate
the Constitution. What would happen
today if any so-called "liberal" committed a similar absurdity may be left
to the imagination,. It is certain that he
would be brought before a loyalty
board and that his situation would be
precarious.
Some of the greatest of our statesmen would fare badly if.they were'
living and writing in 1952. Thomas''
Jefferson, whose name has conjurative
Claude M. Fuess, former headmaster
at Phillips Academy at Andover, Mass.,
is the author of biographies of Daniel
Webster, Carl Schurz, and Calvin
Coolidge. *
powers, was a "radical" who advocated a general revision of all the established laws and forms of society.
What would our witch-hunting Senators make of a statesman who wrote,
"A little rebellion now and then is a
good thing" and who argued,that perhaps a society without government,
like that among*the American Indians,
was to be preferred to any other type?
This would be regarded today as subversive talk, to be .promptly suppressed, by force if necessary. Nevertheless, the monument to Thomas Jefferson still stands in Washington, visited with reverence by millions of
Americans, and we quote with pride
what he said of the university which
he founded: "This institution will be
based on the illimitable freedom of
the human mind. For here we are not
afraid^to follow truth wherever it may
lead, nor to tolerate error so long as
reason is"" left free to combat it."
"We are not afraid!" said Jefferson.
But today, when the nation is actually
and relatively far stronger than it was
when he was President, we are .dominated by a fear so pervasive that it
approaches hysteria. This little volume, comprising a series'of lectures at
Swarthmore College, deals with various manifestations of that fear.* Professor Commager dwells in a general
way on the attack now being made by
frightened men upon independence of
thought, nonconformity, and dissent.
Professor Carr covers particularly
problems of racial equality. Professor
Chafee discusses primarily the Congressional investigations conducted
under the McCarran Act. Professor
Gellhorn shows how our fear of disclosing scientific secrets is hindering
the progress of research. Judge Bok is
troubled by the tendency of self-appointed critics to censor books or
plays which they do not like. President Baxter, with vigor and clarity,
indicates what suppression in education has done to the Russian mind.
THE CONCLUSIONS of these six
men naturally differ somewhat in
degree and in expression, but they are
united in maintaining that we are in
grave danger, through fear, of becom-
, ing totalitarian in our governmental
philosophy. In our zeal to protect ourselves from an outside peril we have allowed extremists to curtail our personal liberties. We are paying our enemies the tribute of admitting that coercion . and suppression are legitimate
weapons for combatting other ideas. In
other words, what Sinclair Lewis
dreaded has already happened here. A
large number of respectable people,
dwelling in an atmosphere of suspicion, are afraid to say what they think.
Slander, libel, and calculated falsehood
—some of it protected under our Constitution—have done their deadly ter-
LIBERTIES UNDER ATTACK. By
Henry Steele Commager, Robert K. Carr,
7.echar\ah Chafee, Jr.. Walter Gellhorn, Curtis Bok. James P. Baxter, III. Edited by Clair
Wilcox. Philadelphia.- University of Pennsylvania Press. 155 pp. J3.50.